Did you
know that ACGS and the History Center in Anoka have an extensive collection
of obituaries from 1869 to now? Most of them are searchable by decade or
are filed alphabetically. We are in the process of making one master index
for all of the records. Check on our web site for updates.
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~relativememory on the Vital
Records page.

Volunteers
are always appreciated to clip obituaries from newspapers, index and file
them. Contact the History Center if you are interested.

See the
article on page 3 to learn how you can use the information in obituaries to
find out more about your ancestors.

We are planning some exciting classes
and field trips in the coming year. If you have genealogy questions or
topics that you would like to learn more about, please contact me or any
board member and let us know.

Join us on
February 4 for a discussion about common mistakes in your genealogy
research.

Cathi Weber

Using Obituaries in Your Research

Obituaries can be a wealth of information in your genealogy research.
An obituary is a mini biography of the deceased. What information can you get
from an obituary?

Below are some of the things that may be included in your
ancestor’s obituary. Because an obit is usually written by someone after the
death of an individual most of the information is not an original source. It is
a secondary source. It can be a great place to find leads to original sources,
if the information is correct. Keep in mind that the informant is usually in a
state of grief and doesn’t always have the information written down and may be
giving it from memory. You should always check all leads to get the most
comprehensive information. Even different newspapers will sometimes have
different information in the obituaries for the same person. Occasionally there
will be funeral notice in one paper and the full obituary in a later paper, so
be sure to check newspapers for a week or two after the death date. Also read
the ‘society’ section to see who was visiting in the area around the time of
death and the funeral.

When you cut an obituary from the newspaper, be sure to
record the source: name and location of paper, date, and page number and
column. The obituary may only contain partial dates so the newspaper
information is crucial to having the complete information. Plus, you always
want to document your sources so you or someone else can find the source again.

Below is a table of information that may be in an obituary
and where you might go to look for the original or other sources. Compare all
of the sources for verification and differences in information.

Obituary
information

Other
Sources

Name

Birth record, marriage record

Date & Cause of death

Death Certificate

Location: residence and death

Death certificate, census, city directory, land
records

Age / Birth date

Birth record/certificate, census’

Spouse

Marriage record, census

Children

Children’s birth records

Parents – mother’s maiden name

Birth record, census’, wills

Siblings and their locations

Census’, phone books

Names of people attending funeral

Guest book – some of these people may be relatives

Cemetery and burial date

Death Certificate, Cemetery records

Mortuary/funeral home

Mortuary records, death certificate

Immigration information

Immigration papers, ship records, citizenship
papers

Military service

Military records, pension

Occupation

Employment records, census’, city directory

Photo

Memorials

Organizations they may have belonged to

Pay careful attention to all of the clues including the
names of children and attendees. You may find married names of daughters or
sisters. If they were born before 1930 you can check the census records for
family members. You may find children or grandchildren who are still living by
paying attention to where they lived at the time of the obituary.

From learning the information in an obituary you will be
able to look for more sources such as probate records, Wills, estate sales and
land transfers.

When you pass away will your next of kin know the correct
information to write your obituary?